Finger comb with tooth spacing slider



Aug. 25, 1964 L. PlGo 3,145,738

FINGER 00MB WITH TOOTH SPACING SLIDER Filed NOV. 2, 1962 INVENTOR.

LEWIS PIGO ATTORNEY United States Patent O 3,145,718 FINGER CGMB WITHTOOTH SPACING SLIDER Lewis Pigo, 1526 Grand Ave., Spring Valley, Calif.Files Nov. 2, 1962, ser. No. 235,059 3 Claims. (C1. 132-148) Thisinvention relates to a finger comb adapted to fit on a finger of theoperator and to be used for combing the hair of a person or anartificial wig. It is especially adapted for use in beauty parlorsandbarber shops since, due to its lightweight, it can be used for aprolonged time without tiring the operator.

The comb is designed to fit on the end of the index finger of theoperator so that rapid strokes of its teeth through the hair can be madeby the operator merely bending his linger and without moving his entirehand.

The hair of wigs is often rolled around rollers to curl it and therollers then removed. The resulting curls are then combed to set thehair in waves. When this combing is done with the usual type of combhaving teeth spaced close together, it is found that several hairs arecaused to overlap and to draw them between two teeth, the operator mustpull so hard that one or more hairs are pulled out of the wig.Repetition of such combing depletes the wig of hair. It is an object ofthis invention to provide adequate spacing between the teeth of the combso that only a small pull is exerted on the individual hairs as the combis drawn through them with the result that no hairs are pulled out ofthe wig.

Further objects are to provide a finger comb which is light in weight,inexpensive to manufacture, is composed of materials that are readilyavailable on the market and in which the teeth, being made of roundwire, are very durable and cannot be broken during ordinary use of thecomb.

Another object is to provide a slider on the teeth for the purpose ofdrawing their ends closer together when hair in confined areas needs tobe combed.

Another object is to provide bent portions on some of the teeth whichcooperate with the slider to hold or anchor it in a desired position foruse.

Another object is to provide a curved hook on the slider to receive theend of the operators middle finger to more firmly hold the comb and alsoso that the middle finger can assist the index finger to move the combthrough the hair.

Further objects will become apparent as the description of my improvedcomb proceeds. For a better understanding of the invention reference ismade to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. l is a top view of a finger comb embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a transverse section taken through the teeth on line 2-2 ofFIG. 1 also showing their supporting tube;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the comb in place on the end of an operatorsfinger and;

FIG. 4 is an end view of the slider used on the teeth.

The comb shown comprises a short cylindrical tube 1i) having a width of1A inch, an outside diameter of l inch and an inside diameterappropriate to cause it to fit on the end of the index finger of theoperator, such diameter usually being from 5A; to 3%; inch. Fiveparallel holes 11 are drilled in one end of the tube in a directionparallel to its axis, the spacing between the centers of each two holesbeing approximately 5%),2 inch. Into each hole the end of a metal wire12 extends and is fastened, the wires preferably being made of stainlesssteel, the total length of each wire being about 2%; inches and itsdiameter .042 inch. The outer ends of the wires are rounded so that theywill not split the hair when in use. Tube vis preferably made of a hardpolymerized plastic resin either clear or colored by an admixed dye, andthe holes 11 thereice in are drilled to a diameter slightly less thanthat of wire 12. The inner end of each wire is heated to a temperaturesufficient to soften the plastic and then pushed into a hole, theplastic softening around the wire and then quickly hardening to firmlyattach the wire to the tube. Or the wires may be attached to the tube byother known means. The center wire is straight and the two wires on eachside of it are now bent slightly close to where they leave tube 1t),this permanent bend causing the wires to fan out toward their outer endswhere the space between each two wires is preferably about 1A inch.Except as to these bends, all the wires may be straight but the twooutside wires are preferably bent, as shown, to provide aligned inwardlybent regions 13 and two bent regions 14 for a purpose to be described.

The comb as described may be used by the operator inserting the endjoint of his index finger F within tube 10 as shown in FIG. 3, movingthe ends of teeth 12 into the hair to be combed and bending the fingerto draw the ends of the teeth through the hair. However, it is preferredto provide a slider 15 of the shape shown made of plastic about 1/s inchthick. The slider has a straight base portion 16 through which extendthree circular holes 17 to receive the three inner wires 12 and twoshort slots 18 to receive the two outer bent wires 12. The upper portionof slider 15 is shaped to provide a long curved tooth or hook 19 whichextends out past the end of base 16. The slider may be put in place bypulling the outer ends of wires 12 toward each other and inserting theends of the two outer wires in slots 18 while the ends of the otherthree wires enter holes 17. The slider is now slid along the wires untilit is in the position shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. The comb can now be usedwith merely the index finger supporting it or the operator can bring theend of his middle finger against the fiat portion Ztl of base 16 and theconcave curved region 21 of hook 19 thus providing a firmer grasp of thecomb.

After curlers have been removed from a womans hair or a wig, the hairmay be teased or back combed to partially remove the curls by passingthe comb repeatedly through it toward the scalp or sidewise. This buildsup the hair into a larger body or mass and by then stroking the outerportion of the hair downward with the end of the comb, the hair sets inregular waves of good appearance. During the combing there is a tendencyfor hair rubbing against slider 15 to move it inwardly along teeth 12towards tube 10. Such movement is prevented by the inwardly bent regions13 or 14 of the outer teeth, these regions serving to lock or anchorslider 15 in place.

If the operator wants to make the end of the comb narrower to work on asmall or confined mass of hair, he grasps tooth 19 and slides slider 15along the teeth toward their outer ends thereby pulling the ends of theteeth closer together. The comb Weighs only a fraction of an ounce anddue to the fact that it can be rapidly drawn through the hair by merelybending one or two ngers, it effects a great saving in the operatorstime.

In FIGS. l and 3 the comb is shown for use on the right hand, the end ofthe middle finger of the operator resting against curved face 21. Foruse by a left handed operator, slider 15 is slid off teeth 12 androtated 180 degrees about a vertical axis then slid back into positionalong the teeth. When the index finger of the operator is now insertedinto tube 10, curved tooth 19 will now lie at the left and curved region21 thereof will be in position to receive the end of the operatorsmiddle finger.

By rotating the comb of FIG. l on the operators finger through degrees,curved tooth 19 will extend downwards and is free to be used as a singletooth to be inserted into a strand of hair to pick it up or manipulateit into any shape that a single tooth comb can accomplish.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and useful and desireto secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A light weight finger comb constructed to t tightly on the end of anoperators index finger and to be drawn through the hair by merelybendingsaid finger, comprising in combination: a short cylindrical plastic tubehaving a thin continuous wall of uniform thickness throughout; aplurality of spaced apart thin cylindrical metal teeth whose length ismuch greater than that of said tube, said teeth having parallel innerends that pass through one end surface of said tube and are embedded inthe wall thereof, said teeth being of substantially the same length andshaped so that the distance between the axes of adjacent teethprogressively increases towards the outer free ends of said teethwhereby the free ends of said teeth can be easily inserted into thehair; and a thin slider around said teeth, the bottom portion of saidslider having a set of aligned holes therethrough and one only of saidteeth passing through each hole, the distance between adjacent holesbeing substantially less than the distance between the outer ends of theteeth passing therethrough whereby the outer ends of said teeth aredrawn closer together in response to movement of said slider outwardlyalong said teeth.

2. A light weight finger comb constructed to it tightly on the end of anoperators linger, comprising in combination: a short cylindrical plastictube having a thin continuous Wall whose inner face is cylindricalthroughout its entire length; three spaced apart thin cylindrical metalteeth whose length is much greater than that of said tube,

said teeth having parallel inner ends which pass through 30 one endsurface of said tube and are embedded in the wall thereof, the centralone of said teeth being straight throughout its entire length, the twoteeth on opposite sides of said central tooth having axes that divergefrom said central tooth as the distance from said tube increases; twooutermost teeth having inner ends which pass through one end surface ofsaid tube and are embedded in the wall thereof, said outermost teethhaving straight outer ends that diverge as the distance from said tubeincreases, said outermost teeth having two aligned regions bent intoward said central tooth at a substantial distance from said one end ofsaid tube; and a thin slider around all of said teeth, the bottom ofsaid slider having two aligned short slots therethrough through whichsaid outermost teeth pass and also three circular holes through whichsaid three metal teeth pass, the distance between adjacent holes beingsubstantially less than that between the outer ends of the teeth passingtherethrough whereby the outer ends of all said teeth are drawn closertogether in response to movement of said slider outwardly along saidteeth.

3. A comb as claimed in claim 2, in which the top of said slider isprovided with a projecting curved integral hook having a concave faceconstructed to it against the end of the middle iinger of the operator.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 820,533Taylor May 15, 1906 1,606,968 Strauss Nov. 16, 1926 2,698,975 ShannonSept. 2, 1952 2,821,203 Kesterson Jan. 28, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 564,776Great Britain Oct. 12, 1944

1. A LIGHT WEIGHT FINGER COMB CONSTRUCTED TO FIT TIGHTLY ON THE END OFAN OPERATOR''S INDEX FINGER AND TO BE DRAWN THROUGH THE HAIR BY MERELYBENDING SAID FINGER, COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: A SHORT CYLINDRICALPLASTIC TUBE HAVING A THIN CONTINUOUS WALL OF UNIFORM THICKNESSTHROUGHOUT A PLURALITY OF SPACED APART THIN CYLINDRICAL METAL TEETHWHOSE LENGTH IS MUCH GREATER THAN THAT OF SAID TUBE, SAID TEETH HAVINGPARALLEL INNER ENDS THAT PASS THROUGH ONE END SURFACE OF SAID TUBE ANDARE EMBEDDED IN THE WALL THEREOF, SAID TEETH BEING OF SUBSTANTIALLY THESAME LENGTH AND SHAPED SO THAT THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE AXES OF ADJACENTTEETH PROGRESSIVELY INCREASES TOWARDS THE OUTER FREE ENDS OF SAID TEETHWHEREBY THE FREE ENDS OF SAID TEETH CAN BE EASILY INSERTED INTO THEHAIR; AND A THIN SLIDER AROUND SAID TEETH, THE BOTTOM PORTION OF SAIDSLIDER HAVING A SET OF ALIGNED HOLES THERETHROUGH AND ONE ONLY OF SAIDTEETH PASSING THROUGH EACH HOLE, THE DISTANCE BETWEEN ADJACENT HOLESBEING SUBSTANTIALLY LESS THAN THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE OUTER ENDS OF THETEETH PASSING THERETHROUGH WHEREBY THE OUTER ENDS OF SAID TEETH AREDRAWN CLOSER TOGETHER IN RESPONSE TO MOVEMENT OF SAID SLIDER OUTWARDLYALONG SAID TEETH.